Reptile Information Directory

Modern reptiles inhabit every continent except for Antarctica, are referred to as "cold-blooded", and today they are
represented by four surviving orders: Crocodilians, Sphenodontia, Squamata and Testudines.

Reptile is the familiar name given to a member of the class Reptillia.

Included
in this class are Turtles which include tortoises, terrapins and sea turtles;
the Tuatara; the Crocodilians which include Gavials, Alligators & Caiman;
the Lizards; and the Snakes.

A rather large group, Reptilia are all vertebrates.

They are cold blooded creatures that require heat from their environment.

The family Repitilia is of the most pervasive group of animals and to a degree
they are the most successful as they are found in most all habitats on
earth and comprise almost 6,000 species compared with mammals with just over
5,000 species.

Reptile's have become a huge force in the pet trade and are
now commonly kept in 1 of 7 pet homes. Their innate prehistoric looks,
misconception of ease of care and recent accessibility to the pet trade
has proven the reptile to be a larger percentage of the mix of pets being
kept in homes today.

With at least 7 major full color magazines dedicated
to reptiles in the U.S. and hundreds of professional herpetological societies
around the world as well as specific veterinary organizations dealing exclusively
with reptiles, their popularity is growing at a tremendous rate.